‘Islamist factions’ seize Syrian airbase
A fighter from the Ahrar al Sham, a jihadist group in Syria, is heard saying on a video that the aircraft at the overrun al-Jarrah airbase “are now in the hands” of the group. The Al Nusrah Front also participated in the assault.

The al Qaeda affiliate has gained control or has a major presence in several key cities and towns along the Euphrates River, securing its lines of communication into Iraq.
The operations are part of the “third wave” of al Qaeda in Iraq’s “Destroying the Walls” campaign.
Abdullah Bawazir fought against US forces in Iraq and escaped from a Yemeni prison in June 2011, according to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was killed in a drone strike in Hadramout on Dec. 24, 2012.
Sheikh Aifan Sadoun Aifan al-Issawi, an Iraqi parliamentarian and one of the leaders of the Sunni tribal “Awakening,” was assassinated while inspecting a road construction project near Fallujah.